Novel Batteries Get a Boost
GM plans to develop batteries with A123 Systems for its new electric vehicle.General Motors has announced it will work directly with A123 Systems, a start-up based in Watertown, MA, to develop...
View ArticleCooling Chips with an Ion Breeze
By using an electric charge to put molecules in motion, a new device can make a computer’s fans more efficient.Electrodes that send a flow of ionized air over the surface of a silicon chip could make...
View ArticleCheap, Off-Grid Cooling
A hybrid refrigerator will bring efficient, cheap cooling to India.A startup based in Cambridge, MA, has developed a new solar-powered refrigeration system for food storage in Indian villages that are...
View Article"Melting" Drywall Keeps Rooms Cool
Developers think these phase-change materials could reduce the need for air-conditioning.Building materials that absorb heat during the day and release it at night, eliminating the need for...
View ArticleAn Energy-Saving Air Conditioner
Evaporative cooling plus drying with desiccants equals cool air for less cost.Keeping air cool in homes and offices this summer will be expensive–about 5 percent of the energy used in the United States...
View ArticleCell-Phone Chips to the Rescue
Data centers, under greater demand than ever, are looking to low-power chips as a way to save money—but switching won’t be easy.It takes energy to run the computers inside data centers—and then more...
View ArticleCooling Efforts Vulnerable to Radiation Spikes
If workers are forced to abandon a troubled nuclear plant in Japan, a complete meltdown is possible.Radiation levels spiked at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and according to some reports, forced...
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